Over at LeaderWorks, I wrote a short blog about the preaching role of the Rector. Read it here. And buried in the last part of the article is a small link to a HUGE opportunity for Rectors of congregations. LeaderWorks and the American Anglican Council are sponsoring a “summit” at The Cove on December 3-6,…
Five Reasons Why You Should Focus on Your Pulpit
Anglicans love liturgy. This has always been true, but in the past couple of decades, I’ve seen more and more young clergy who are especially enamored with the formational impact of rightly ordered worship. I would imagine this phenomenon is due mostly to a generation of young priests drawn to the Anglican way from a…
Yanny vs. Laurel, Pentecost, and What People Hear
For the record, I hear Laurel. I can’t not hear Laurel. My wife hears Yanny. I’ll let you know how that works out. This latest viral sensation, similar to ‘The Dress’ before it, plays on the maddening subjectivity of human perception. Whether it’s sight or sound, we take our sensory perception as bedrock and when…
10 Ways to Preach the Easter Sunday Sermon
Talk about pressure—the Resurrection is the biggest event in the history of the world. Individuals and families who rarely darken the doors of a church will find their way into your sanctuary on Easter. While our culture has morphed the moment into lilies, butterflies, eggs, and bunnies, people still desire to hear this story. And why not?…
Announcement: Giving Up is Coming Soon!
It’s Ready After years of gathering ideas, studying Scripture, preaching “The Money Talk”, collecting three decades worth of wisdom…and months of writing and re-writing, the book is finished. We took our final pass at it with our red pens and now it lives with the publisher and then onto the printer…and then I hope…to you!…
The Reformation Anglicanism Essential Library
Bishop Michael Nazir-Ali, The Rev. Dr. Jensen, The Rev. Dr. John Yates, III, Dr. Ashley Null, and Bishop Ben Kwashi–these are the modern-day Anglican scholars and bishops that are teaming together to write a 6-volume work on Reformation Anglicanism. The first edition is out (The Reformation Anglicanism Essential Library, Volume 1). And it is great!…
He is Risen!!
The Driving Force “Why did Christianity arise, and why did it take the shape it did? The early Christians themselves reply: We exist because of Jesus’ resurrection…there is no evidence for a form of early Christianity in which the resurrection was not a central belief. Nor was this belief, as it were, bolted on to…
The Whiplash of Holy Week
Holy Week is the “Week of Whiplash.” The highs in the Story of Palm Sunday are followed all too quickly by the shouts from the crowd calling for His death. Then He slow-walks the next days: from the Garden to the Courtyard to the Praetorium to the Streets to the Calvary Hill to the Cross to…
Holy Week and the Cross of Christ: Notes and Quotes
Here is a small collection of quotes and comments about the Cross and Holy Week that I have collected over the years. They are sermon starters, devotional nudges, and deep expressions of our faith and love of Jesus Christ and the Cross He endured. May the Lord richly bless you all in the Holy Week. …
Preparing to Preach
It’s early Sunday morning and I am adding some additional thoughts to my sermon for today. I preached it last night at the Saturday evening service in our chapel. Preaching first in a smaller space is always a good experience for me. I only find awkward phrases and weak points when I say them out…
Five Big Mistakes I’ve Made in Preaching
I’m not the best preacher, but after 18 years of preaching, I’ve learned a great deal from my own mistakes. To spare you, I’ve listed some of the biggest ones here. Not Believing in Preaching Itself I hope we all share a belief in the gospel of Jesus Christ. Believe it, and always preach it….
That’s Not the Gospel
Priests spend a considerable amount of time in hospitals, visiting the sick and praying with and for them. Some of those we visit are young and generally very healthy; they are expected to make quick and full recoveries. They almost always do. Praying for them is “easy” because our prayers for healing are often answered,…
